January

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  RCL today announced earnings for the fourth quarter and full year of 2009 and provided guidance for 2010. Fourth quarter 2009 net income increased to $3.4 million, or $0.02 per share, compared to net income of $1.5 million, or $0.01 per share in 2008.  The results were better than the company’s previous guidance of a loss of approximately ($0.05) per share due to stronger than expected revenues and continued good cost discipline.  more....

DubaiPlans to sail the Queen Elizabeth 2 to Cape Town in South Africa for the football World Cup finals in the summer have been scrapped. Istithmar World, the investment arm of Dubai World, owns the former British ocean liner that is berthed at Port Rashid in Dubai. “There are a number of options being considered for the QE2,” the company said in a statement. “Istithmar World is considering which option will best maximise value of the vessel.” read more...

Helsinki
Viking Line, the Finnish cruise ferry company, is considering to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for two new ferries it plans to build for its Turku-Stockholm service in the Baltic Tighter environmental rules are behind the company's decision to look at other options than oil to power the two ships it intends to build. These are projected to take effect in the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic after 2015. 
Wartsila, the Finnish engineering group, has worked on designs how to fit the necessary equipment to use LNG into a ferry. The fuel is not widely available, but this is not a major issue for ferries as these are employed on trades between two ports all the time.

Expedia CruiseShipCenters has launched a newly redesigned website Cruiser Guide The redesigned Cruise site features a brand new Cruiser Guide that helps travelers discover why cruises are a great value, what life is like on board a cruise ship, how to find the perfect cruise ship whether you are a first-time cruiser or a seasoned sailor, identify when and where to go on your cruise, cruise how-tos and a printable checklist to make sure all bases are covered prior to embarking.

MIAMI, Jan 21, 2010
The board declared a dividend of $0.10 per share and approved a record date of February 19, 2010, and a payment date of March 12, 2010. Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced today that its Board of Directors voted to resume its quarterly dividend, which was suspended effective March 2009. "Resuming the quarterly dividend demonstrates our confidence in the earnings power of our global cruise brands despite the current economic environment" say's Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO. more...

Miami
High on deck 19, out of sight from passengers, are 21,000 square feet of thin solar film that produce enough power to light the ship’s Royal Promenade and Central Park areas, said Jamie Sweeting, Royal Caribbean Cruises VP of environmental stewardship and global chief environmental officer. The $750,000 installation was a coup for BAM Solar Power. Royal Caribbean, which is the world’s second-largest cruise company, doesn’t expect a rapid payoff on its solar panel investments, but they fit well with its overall effort to make energy-efficient cruise ships and care for the environment.
A spokeswoman for Miami-based Carnival Corp. said the world’s largest cruise company isn’t doing so because the return on investment is not yet high enough. read more...
Never mind the environment, it is all about profits. Shame on you Micky!!

Miami/USAToday
Royal Caribbean says yes to sexually-charged cougar cruise says it will pick up where industry leader Carnival left off in hosting a "cougar cruise" organized by California-based Singles Travel Company.
The Second International Cougar Cruise, as it's being called, will take place May 16-23 on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. "We have no reason to deny this group the opportunity to sail on our ship," Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez tells USA TODAY. Seems Mickey's Carnival Cruise Line has succumbed to America's "Bible Belt". Prudes won over liberal minded individuals. What a shame!

MIAMI, Jan. 11
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Rolls-Royce announced today that they have reached a suitable and amicable resolution to the lawsuit regarding the Mermaid pod-propulsion system on Celebrity Cruises' Millennium-class ships.When they were first designed and implemented, podded propulsion was a significant technological advance over traditional shaft propulsion, but it experienced a number of technical issues in the early years of use.  However, working together, Royal Caribbean and Rolls-Royce have been successful in improving the reliability of the design.  Mermaid pods are installed on four Celebrity ships – Millennium, Summit, Infinity and Constellation.

Greenland
The Danish navy stationed in Greenland has warned of impending Titanic-style disasters - Video - as cruise liners stray too close to the region’s icebergs. “We are responsible for rescue in Arctic waters from Cape Farewell in southern Greenland to the North Pole. It’s a vast area and we are obviously not able to be everywhere,” said the Commanding Officer of the Danish base in the southern Greenland’s Arsuk fjord Rear Admiral Henrik Kudsk. “Experience from Antarctica shows that you need a cruise ship to rescue a cruise ship – no other vessels have the capacity. So we are advising cruise companies to cooperate and sail in pairs in Greenland waters,” said Kudsk from the Gronnedal navy base. more...

The market is still waiting. Since the idea was conceived by American Ferries Inc. (AFI), the Boston-Halifax sea link has received positive response from wide variety of prospective users. Travelers and truckers. The targeted year 2009 for start of ferry service is no longer possible, due to difficulties in finding the right ship and sufficient operational and financial partners.  Recent investigations and discussion with partners, however,  give cause for new optimism for the ferry. An agreement is being sought with a sizeable existing cruise ferry company for both providing a good ship and helping to operate the venture.

Millions of Americans take cruise vacations every year. However, most don't realize that cruising is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel. With ships that can carry up to 7,000 passengers and crew, these floating cities pollute the air we breathe and the water we use and enjoy.
What Can You Do About It? You Can Choose a Greener Cruise! All cruise lines are not the same! You can choose a cruise line that is reducing its environmental and human health impacts! To help, Friends of the Earth has put together the following report card comparing 10 major cruise lines: see here...